Episode 10: Collapse, Disintegration, and Restoration

It's the 1030s and the Polish realm has collapsed following the death of Mieszko II, with nary a Piast on the throne to keep it knit together. The task of reunification is left to Mieszko's son, Casimir the Restorer. On his list is not only the reunification of a fragmented nation, but the need to crush a pagan uprising, and to take power without offending the foreign rulers that have been riding roughshod over Poland.

As for the special announcement and request, here are the details:

I’ve been thinking about starting a number of additional podcast mini-series.

There are two reasons for this.

Reason #1: Financial

While I’ve been trying to release these episodes more regularly, I’m having trouble finding the time what with my other work. Not only does it take quite a bit of time to research the material for this show, but the books and manuscripts are costly on their own.

Reason #2: Coolness of Other Stories

There are just some cool stories out there to tell that don’t fit in to the normal story we’ve been going through. Things that are related, but not really a driver of events in Poland.

My idea right now is to create a Patreon page, where you can give a small amount of money periodically in support of the podcasts I’ve been creating. You choose the amount.

If enough people join in, I’d not only be able to spend more time on this show and get it published more regularly, but I’d also be able to release more episodes on other topics.

The goal is eventually to have this podcast published weekly, with other series being released in batches. These would be mini-series of 10 or 15 episodes focused on topics that are related to Poland, but not necessarily about Poland.

For example, topics like (each would get their own mini-series):

The Founding of the Holy Roman Empire

The Mongol Invasion of Europe

The Investiture Dispute between the Emperor and the Pope

The formation of Feudal Europe

Ottomans at the Gates

Myths of Eastern Europe

The Rise of the Kievan Rus

That’s the general idea. If it works, I’d start to roll out way more podcast episodes, each as deeply research as the ones I’ve been doing now, but on a broader range of topics. This podcast would continue to be free for everyone, while the mini-series would be available to those who support the show financially, as a reward for their support.

So my question is this: is this something you’d like to happen? Do you want more episodes, on lots of different topics, in addition to more Polish episodes, and a more regular schedule?

If so let me know. This isn’t a huge show right now, so I’d love to hear from each and every one of you. Every dollar would count.

So, to let me know your thoughts send an email to historyofpolandpodcast@gmail.com, or tweet at me @historyofpoland, or get in touch some other way. I’m open ears!